Li blinked as he found himself back in the world. He was kneeling down, his wooden fingers curled over the [Thousand Eye Band] at his arm. The exact same position he was before he had entered into Sho-Gath's dimensional prison.

Except that the Old One had done as Li had initially bid, loosing his anti-magic smog all around the area. The smoke was darker than the night and flashes of red shaped in brief visages of eyes dotted its body. 

"You win this time, destroyer," said Lira. Li saw her on one knee a few meters away, her glowing red body standing out amidst the thick, living smoke. Her massive magical aura was completely gone now, eaten away by the darkness around her. The smoke seemed to curl into her being, little gaseous wisps from every direction flowing into her and slowly breaking her magically constructed body apart. 

Lira leaned her weight shakily against the Prometheas as she planted it on the ground. "But heed my words. With my demise, my true self will return, and whatever death and destruction you wreak now I will undo. I swear it upon all the lives that depend upon me."

Li shook his head. "Perhaps now you will be more inclined to listen." He saw how weak she was. The smoke had eaten away immensely at her health, and right now, she was holding on by a sliver, her magical form moments away from dissolving completely. 

He dispelled the [Thousand Echo Band], and it faded away, the faintest of laughs echoing as it disappeared. With it, the smoke went, clearing the darkness from the area to reveal the still molten, smoking, and cratered landscape that Li and Lira's battle had created. 

Lira glanced at Li before she grunted, willing herself to stand up even at the tiniest sliver of health she had left. Her magical body was completely lined with cracks now, and she looked transparent, an opaque image of the area around her visible through her. 

"You intend to play with me? Torture me?" Lira smiled, fangs bared fully as she took the Prometheas in hand and wielded it once more. "You'll not find me easy prey."

"No, you have not been," said Li. He sighed. "And I never intended to hunt you down. You simply do not listen. Maybe now that your construct is about to fade, you will be more open to talking."

"Talk? What is talk but another means for your kind to manipulate and scheme?" Lira shook her head. "Destroy me. Call to the rest of your kind through the tear. But know that I will return, and that I will halt your advance in this world."

Li wondered whether it was a hallmark of an old and great adventurer to be as stubborn as a rock. First Old Thane, and now Lira. He tried to think of a way to get her to stand down for after talking with Sho-Gath, he knew that Lira had information he was quite curious about.

Such as the nature of the dimensional anomaly she was guarding. The fact that she seemed to have traveled to multiple worlds and fought beings like Li throughout them. But just as he started to have trouble thinking about how to approach the topic, he could feel a familiar presence nearing him.

Tia burst through the fog, her wings beating wildly behind her as she propelled to Li at speeds that sent waves of wind spiraling behind her. She slammed into Li with concussive impact that probably would have killed a good majority of creatures in this world, but Li caught her in a hug. 

"Papa!" said Tia with relief, shivering a little. She looked up to Li with her black and green eyes and smiled. "You alive!"

"Alive? Tia, you know by now to have more trust in me," said Li teasingly.

"True," said Tia. "I mean, you okay too."

"Of course," said Li. "I am sorry I have been gone so long."

"No, no," said Tia. "I just worried because big pumpkin run away. Then I sense and hear big explosion. Everyone else scared, but I worry for papa. Broke through pumpkin to see you."

"Tia, I appreciate the concern, I do," said Li as he patted Tia's head. "But breaking the Vukanovi puts the others in danger. They may not handle the fog as well as I do. Or you do, apparently."

"Snake lady cover hole with sand," said Tia. "She told me to go if I worry, so I did."

"Ah, well then, I suppose that is fine," said Li. It would appear that in Li's absence, Asala took the role closest to being second in command, though likely, she made decisions with Old Thane. 

"Papa?" said Lira. She narrowed her eyes at Li not in enmity this time, but more in curiosity. She looked to Tia. "Little dragon, you say that he, that abomination, is your father?"

Tia broke off from hugging Li and swaggered up to Lira with fangs bared and chest puffed out. "Papa is not a…a…whatever that is! Not mean word." Tia's expression changed into wonder as she quickly settled her gaze on Lira's one remaining horn. "You are dragon? Like me?"

"Like you," nodded Lira as she knelt down to Tia's height. Her rainbow eyes looked over Tia, and then stared off to Li. "What are you playing at with her?"

"I am not playing at anything," said Li, a little bit annoyed now. Then he got an idea. 

He came up to Tia's side and shifted back to his human form before taking her hand. "Tia, it looks like papa and this dragon have gotten off to a bad start. We do not understand each other. Can papa ask you to see into her soul with him so that she can see ours? 

If words will not work, then I know that will."

Tia nodded and looked to Lira for permission. "Is that okay?"

Lira nodded to Tia. "I suppose I do not have much of a choice as I am now. Go on, then, little one."

Tia came close to Lira, and her eyes, one pitch black and one glowing green with life, met Lira's eyes of radiant multi-colored iridescence. As the eyes met, the molten and battered landscape around them faded away, into darkness.

And it was then that Li glimpsed into the soul of Liravalennan, daughter of Val - the highest and oldest among all dragons.